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Last weekend’s Elitloppet at Solvalla delivered the spectacular we were hoping for. It may have been without the fantastic audience we have become used to, but it was a success nonetheless.

The main event went the way of Propulsion, finally achieving what he had tried to do on four separate occasions and land the Elite race.

A wide trip in his qualifying heat made his achievement to make the final all the more impressive, but it was the way he won that really crowned a special horse.

He suffered a similarly tough run in the main event, but showed an impressive burst of speed, to come five-wide around the field to secure a deserved victory.

When the dust had settled though, the achievement was thrown into doubt. It has since transpired that Propulsion underwent an operation when in the USA; one that should have prohibited him starting in Sweden.

The fact that he has run in the country for the best part of five years before this has been found, means something has been missed along the way. 

The investigation continues and it will be very interesting to see what Svenskt Trav, the authority in Swedish harness racing, does in regards to the matter.

Could we have seen the best ever?

Propulsion’s Elitloppet victory was excellent, but for me, the best performance of the weekend came from the four-year-old Ecurie D.

The four-year-old recorded a KM time of 1:09.02, faster than any other horse at the track over the whole weekend, including the stars running in the Elitloppet.

Frode Hamre’s horse was recording his tenth victory in a row, and is yet to be defeated.

Last weekend’s victory confirmed what we already knew, and more. He’s got an extraordinary talent, with an attitude that very few can match. The fact that he’s a wonderful specimen of a horse, and is beautiful to look at, doesn’t hurt either.

He is probably the best trotting horse I have ever seen in the years working in the sport.

So remember the name Ecurie D, a star of the sport for now and years to come.

Recency bias could mean a big price for Bahia

I was delighted to not only see my Elitloppet tip from last week, Propulsion, win the main race, but also my other selection Hell Bent For AM. 

The three-year-old looks a real talent is one to keep an eye on in the future.

Looking at this weekend’s card, we head 400km north to Östersund. It’s a long journey, but such is the size of Sweden, it’s still only classed as the Midlands!

The stand-out bet on the card comes in the feature race at 17:42pm. 

Number seven in the Group 2, Campo Bahia could become a star in the future. He’s got some great form already in the book, but has not started for a while.

Although he’s not run since January, I am informed that he has been training very well and is ready for this 2140m contest. 

Like Propulsion, I’m hoping that people will have forgotten about his previous displays and ensure we get a price about him for Saturday’s Jämtlands Stora Pris and can make it three in a row for our best bets for the weekend.

Best of luck if you decide to follow on Saturday.


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